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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
NCAA Individual Championships
Radu Advances To Quarterfinals At NCAA Singles Championship
5/21/2003 | Women's Tennis
May 21, 2003
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - It took a little longer than the previous two matches, but Ole Miss women's tennis player Mira Radu won for the third straight day here, to advance to the quarterfinals at the NCAA Singles Championship at the Ring Tennis Complex Wednesday.
Radu, seeded 9-16, defeated the tournament's seventh seed, Adria Engel of Arizona State, in straight sets. She won the first set 6-1 and led 2-0 in the second before Engel would win five straight games to take the lead. Radu rallied and held off set point to make it 5-5 before going on to win 7-5. She will face No. 1 ranked and top-seeded, Vilmarie Castellvi of Tennessee, in the quarterfinals Thursday.
"This was a key match for me, because last time I lost to her pretty easily (6-0, 6-4)," Radu said. "I wanted to come out here and stay focused the entire match. I knew the conditions would be different, because last time she beat me indoors. I wanted to use that to my advantage. I had a letdown in the second set, getting behind 5-2. I just started thinking more about hitting my shots instead of focusing on the score. I started to dictate the pace more. I'm happy I got past that nervousness and came back and won."
Radu improved to 2-1 lifetime against Engel. She beat Engel 6-4, 6-4 at the Riviera All-American Championships last fall before her loss in the Lady Rebels' dual match against Arizona State.
"Whitt (Assistant Coach) was on Mira's court in our dual match against Arizona State," head coach Mark Beyers said. "He noticed that Mira was trying to hit stroke for stroke with Engel and got overpowered. We suggested Mira change up the pace this time and hit some high balls. It worked. We are extremely proud of Mira for reaching the quarterfinals. It doesn't get any easier obviously, with the No. 1 player coming up. Mira is playing with a lot of confidence, and she has nothing to lose tomorrow."
This marks the furthest Radu has advanced in her third appearance in the NCAAs. She reached the second round her freshman year. Radu also became the first player to reach the quarterfinals since former four-time All-American Agnes Muzamel accomplished the feat in 1997.
If Radu defeats Castellvi, she will become only the second player in the history of the program to advance to the semifinals in singles. The Lady Rebels' first four-time All-American, Paloma Collantes, made it to the semifinals in 1994.
Radu, who improved to 24-10 overall on the season, has not lost a set in her first three matches. She has won 11 of her last 12.
NCAA SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP - GAINESVILLE, Fla.
Third round
Mira Radu (OM) def. Adria Engel (ASU) 6-1, 7-5
